Kahane Family Gift Supports Study of Corporate Governance

William Kahane ’74 and Elizabeth Kahane

Bolstering UCLA School of Law’s instruction in corporate governance, business ethics and related subjects, alumnus William Kahane ’74 and his wife, Elizabeth Kahane, have committed $1million to launch a new corporate governance course and programming at UCLA Law’s Lowell Milken Institute for Business Law and Policy.

The gift from the William and Elizabeth Kahane Foundation includes $500,000 to support corporate governance instruction, scholarship and events. The gift also includes a $500,000 match, increasing the impact of additional gifts to support LMI’s work in corporate governance.

Beginning in 2020, UCLA Law will offer a new course, the William Kahane Class in Corporate Governance, taught by Professor Emeritus Eric Zolt, who is the Michael H. Schill Distinguished Professor of Law at UCLA and the founding director of the Lowell Milken Institute. The class will focus on case studies illuminating the accounting, finance, marketing, regulatory and tax issues that contribute to success or failure in the governance of corporations and philanthropic organizations.

The gift also supports increased special events and programs addressing issues in corporate governance.

A New York-based expert in international real estate and commercial finance, Kahane is a former managing director of Morgan Stanley who in 2006 founded REIT investment manager American Realty Capital Advisors, now AR Global. Previously a member of the board of Catellus Development Corp., Kahane received his bachelor’s degree from Occidental College, an MBA from Stanford University and his J.D. from UCLA Law. He is a member of the Lowell Milken Institute’s advisory board.

“Corporate governance is an extraordinarily important subject in business law, and the Lowell Milken Institute faculty has shown great leadership in this area,” says Kahane. “Elizabeth and I want to support this great work and help future lawyers gain expertise in a field that has huge impact on shareholders, employees, society and the global economy.”

In addition to UCLA Law, the Kahanes’ philanthropy has benefitted Occidental College and numerous arts, education, healthcare and community organizations in New York and Rhode Island.